Heber - dead on regarding scout packs. On the flip side, when I was outfitting my son earlier this year we focused on lightweight gear since I was confident he knew how to take care of it and protect it, the two biggest weight savers being the MB UL SS #2 and Warmlite 2R tent (someone usually tents with him).

However, when it came to his backpack and his cookset he HAD to have the very heavy official BSA cook set (12.5 oz - yikes!) instead of the lightweight gear I was pushing and he HAD to have the Yukon 2900 c.i. external frame pack instead of much lighter and better one's I suggested. The Yukon with all it's bells and whistles sure is fancy!

My son's selections won out for two very good reasons - he thinks they are cool and his friends have them! Being 12 he wants to fit in. He has plenty of time to replace pack and cookset once his trips get longer and weight starts becoming an issue.

Right now I want him to enjoy his gear, feel good about it, and just get out there and use it. With the bag and tent selection it still keeps his pack volume and weight to very reasonable level.

Chuck